No pro-life bill in this session

Friday, April 30, 2004

To the editor:

On April 22, pro-life Missouri House members pointed out to the Republican leadership that no pro-life legislation had been debated in the House this year. To save face, a pro-life bill was placed on the calendar that evening and debated on April 27. I offered House Amendment 8 to House Bill 1339 requiring that women seeking abortions be informed of available alternatives. My amendment had bipartisan support, including that of House Bill 1339's sponsor, state Rep. Jane Cunningham of Chesterfield, Mo.; the author of my amendment's language, state Rep. Bill Deeken of Jefferson City, Mo.; and pro-life legislators on both sides of the aisle. Amendment 8 would have decreased the number of abortions by making women better aware of abortion alternatives. Not one legislator voiced concern over my amendment. However, state Rep. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau killed this pro-life amendment by leading a small contingent to a voice vote. Crowell then called for the previous question, ending debate on the bill after just two hours of discussion. Apparently, he believes that two hours was enough pro-life talk for this year.